This knowledge was not Dick's alone. It extended to every man in the
regiment, and when the colonel urged them to greater speed they responded
gladly.
"If we don't ride faster," he said, "we won't be up in time for the
taking of Grand Gulf."
No greater spur was needed and the Winchester regiment went forward as
fast as horses could carry them.
"I take it that Grant means to scoop in the Johnnies in detail," said
Warner.
"It seems so," said Pennington. "This is a big country down here,
and we can fight one Confederate army while another is mired up a hundred
miles away.
"That's General Grant's plan. He doesn't look like any hero of romance,
but he acts like one. He plunges into the middle of the enemy, and if he
gets licked he's up and at 'em again right away."
Night closed in, and they stopped at an abandoned plantation--it seemed
to Dick that the houses were abandoned everywhere--where they spent the
night. The troopers would have willingly pushed on through the darkness,
but the horses were so near exhaustion that another hour or two would
have broken them down permanently.
Pages:
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93